Protecting the Pottery Neolithic in Jordan

The first ‘typical’ farming communities –small hamlets and villages with mixed farming, and possibly the distinction between ‘desert and sown’– came into existence during the Pottery Neolithic period (ca 7th-6th millennia BC). Due to a research bias, and especially their visibility, these generally small sites remain understudied in the Southern Levant. Sites are often located under metres of colluvium and only found through excavation (archaeological or otherwise, e.g. roadworks). Not only are they under-represented in the research record, but due to these factors, it is also very difficult to protect them. Nonetheless, Pottery Neolithic sites have been recorded in surveys and excavations, and it is possible to collate these data into a standardised framework. Large datasets, such as the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) database, can therefore help by giving an overview of what is known across the Southern Levant. Importantly, the remote sensing methodology developed by the EAMENA Project can also be used to assess the condition of these sites. Preliminary results for Jordan show that Pottery Neolithic sites have a more widespread distribution than previously thought, and that it is possible to predict their location (see Hitchings et al. 2013, Antiquity). By combining the EAMENA methodology, published data, and predictive models, we can start to identify areas of possible Pottery Neolithic sites and thus prioritise which areas to further research or protect when development takes place. This study shows how large datasets can help us study and protect neglected periods and sites.